Mortal Engines — Official Trailer

Welcome to London! It's the fastest and most feared predator city in the world. And it's headed this way!

Universal Pictures has released the official trailer for the forthcoming steampunk epic "Mortal Engines," which is hailing from Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit).

The film, which is based on the best-selling steampunk novel series by British author Philip Reeve, is set in a post-apocalyptic futuristic world where cities are now gigantic moving machines that roam the Earth. It seems the world's greatest "traction city" is London, which is run by an evil bastard named Thaddeus Valentine (played here by Hugo Weaving).

Meanwhile, our hero is a young, slippery fugitive named Hester Shaw (played by Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar, from TV's "Da Vinci's Demons") who, after a failed assassination attempt against Valentine, finds herself partnering up with a Londoner named Tom Natsworthy (played by Irish actor Robert Sheehan, of TV's "Misfits") as they set off on an epic mission to not only destroy Valentine but also shut down London for good.

Produced by Jackson, who also co-wrote the adapted screenplay with his longtime writing partners Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, "Mortal Engines" is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning visual-effects and storyboard artist Christian Rivers, who has worked on all of Jackson's films since the 1992 zombie splatter comedy "Braindead" (aka "Dead Alive").

"Mortal Engines" is due to open everywhere on December 14th.

synopsis: Thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) -- who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London -- finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.